williams



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

H. J. WILLIAMS.

BUTTON HOLE ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MAGHINES.

No. 383,423. Patented May 22, 1888. v

@2913 4% @Wcozwm N. PEYERS. Phclo-Uihugraphur, Wnshingmn. D. C.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

- v H. J. WILLIAMS.

BUTTON HOLE ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES. No. 383,423. Patented May 22, 1888.

' l z c, 2a j @q Z e e N. PETERS, Phdlo'uihognphlr, Walhinglon. D. C.

UNrrnn STATES ATENT Fries.

HENRY J \VlLLlAliiS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO THE HARRIS BUTTON HOLE ATTACHMENT COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

BUTTON=l-lOLE ATTACHMENT FOR SEWINGJVIACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 383,423, dated May 22, 1888.

Application filed May 24, 1887 Serial No. 289,260. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY J. WrLLrAius, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Button-Hole Attachments for Sewing-Machines; and I hereby declare the following to be a full and clear description of the same.

This invention relates to a device for forming th requisite stitching necessary to the con struetion of any desired size or form of but ton-hole such as is in common use; and it consists of a mechanism adapted for attachment to the bed-plate of any ordinary sewing-ma chine, and the operative parts of which are attachable to and operated by the needle-bar of the sewing-machine through an intermediate rock-shaft and ratchet-wheel, from which is transmitted both the forward and lateral or zigzag feed movements required for the formation of the buttonhole stitch.

The invention will be readily understood by reierence to the accompanying drawings, of which- Figure 1 is a general plan of thcbuttonhole mechanism. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of the same taken on the line m m of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of it. Fig. 4 is a rear end elevation of it. Fig. 5 is a top view of the ieedplate, showing the feed and adjusting racks and actuating-pinion. Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the'feedplate. Fig. 7 is a detail plan view ofthe laterallywibrating lever, which gives a zigzag or button holestitch movement to the feeding device. Fig. 8 is a detailed plan of the frame-plate of the buttonhole mechanism and of the parts which are located above it. The feed plate, being located below the bedplate, does not show in this figure. Fig. 9 is a detailed plan view of the adjustable toothed rack and pinion of the feed-plate, by means of which the feed move ment is made to conform to the size and shape ofthe required button'hole. Figs. 10, 11, and 12 are respectively detailed side elevations of the parts shown in plan in Fig. 9, and illustrate the longitudinal adjustment of this mechanism, so as to adapt it to button-holes-of different lengths. Figs. 13, 1.4., and 15 are respectively a plan, a side elevation, and an end view of a modified form of the fecd plate. Fig. 16 is a bottom plan of the presscr-foot of the feed-plate as it is usually made. Figs. 1? and 18 are respectivelya plan and aside elevation of a modified form of the throat-plate of the sewing-machine to provide for the opera ard, 13, which forms an abutment or lug for the attachment and support of the axle B, on which is mounted the ratchet or driving wheel 0, which constitutes the principal feed-operator of the machine, and also the actuating vertically-vibrating lever D, by means of which the said ratchet-wheelis operated. The said lever D is preferably made of two pieces, d and d, placed side by'side and in cont-act with each other, and held together by two or more assembling-screws, d" and (i so that the said pieces (I and d may be adjusted so as to make the said lever D longer or shorter for the purpose of adapting it to a longer or a shorter stroke and also to adapt the buttonhole mechanism to any required sewing-machine. The forward or free end of the said actuating-lever I) is bifurcated or slotted at d for attachment to the needle'loar of the sewing-maehine to which it is to be attached, any suitable lug formed on or attached to the said needle-bar of the sewingmachine being readily adapted to enter into the said notch d", and thereby move the said actuating-lever of the button-hole attachment up and down with the corresponding movements of the said needlebar. The ratchet-wheel C has teeth or serrations a formed on its periphery, and also cam-like lugs or wipers c and 0 formed on its sides near its periphery.

A pawl, D, pivoted at its lower end to the actuating-lever D, and provided at or near its said pivot with a suitable engagement-spring, is at its other end made to engage with the teeth or serrations c of the ratchet-wheel C, and so move the said ratchet-wheel about its axis in a series of intermittent movements as the actuating-arm D is moved up and down by the successive strokes of the needle-bar, as above described.

A laterally-vibrating lever, E, is made in an L shape by means of its horizontal arm 0 and a vertical arm, 6, projecting upwardly therefrom at its inner end. The outer end of this lever is pivoted by a pivot-pin, 0 to the bottom side of the plate A, as shown best in Fig. 2, so as to allow the rear or inner end of the said lever a lateral vibration thereon. The upper end of the upwardly-projecting arm 0 is slotted at c and arranged to embrace the lower part of the ratchet-wheel G, as is also shown in Fig. 2. At each movement of the said wheel 0 one of the lugs 0 or 0 (they being placed alternately on opposite sides of" the said wheel for this purpose) engages with the said lever E e and moves it toward one side, and then a lug on the opposite side of the wheel moves the lever toward the other side, thus causing the lever to vibrate laterally coincidently with the vertical strokes of theneedle-bar of the sewing-machine attached to the actuating-lever D, as above described. This vibrating lateral movement of the vibrating lever E is transmitted through its project ing arm 0 on its inner end, as in Fig. 2, and through a springpawl, c, pivoted thereon, to a horizontally-rotating feed ratchet-wheel, F, mounted on avertieal axle or post, F, seated in the inner end of the plate A. These movements are utilized to produce the forward and backward and laterally or zigzag movements of the feeding-plate G and its'presser-foot G, for forming the button-hole work, in the manner next hereinbelow described. The said feeding-plate G is an elongated metal plate, somewhat longer and narrower than the frameplate A, below which it is located. The vibrating lever E- is interposed between the frameplate Aand the feed-plate G, and the assembling pivot-pin G couples them together, the said pin G for thispurpose passing through a slot, 6 in the said lever E. A slot, in the feed-plate G accommodates the assemblingpin G, and the two slots 0 and g permitalongitudinal adjustment of the said assemblingpin, so as to make the lateral throw of the feed-plate more or less in order to accommodate coarser or finer work. The frame-plate A has a slot, to, of sufficient width to allow the upper end or head of the pin G to vibratelaterally with the plates E and G. At the rear or inner end of the feed-plate G it is provided with a longitudinally'adjustable toothed rack made in two sections, and g, which are placed one above the other, and made adjustable as to length by sliding one of them over the other, so as to lengthen or shorten the en tire rack, (which really constitutes the buttonhole formen) so as to conform it to the length of the button-hole to be worked. One of these cogged sections 5 or g" is fixed to the feedplate G, and the other one is made to slide longitudinally thereon in certain fixed movements which are measured by teeth or serrations 9, (shown in Fig. 5,) which are formed on the plate G, and coincide with the distances between the teeth of the racks g and 9 In this manner when a longitudinal adjustment of the racks g g is made theoverlapping teeth of the one will come vertically over the underlying teeth of the other, so as to makea perfectly-continuous rack. as shown by the detail drawings in Figs. 10, 11 and 12.

The preferred way of arranging the adjustable racks is as follows: Theraek-section g is provided on its under side with a flange or ridge, 9, that fits in a corresponding slot, 9 in the rack section 9. The ridge is secured to a frame, g that may be adjusted back and forth in suitable guideways in the fced-plate G. A clamping-tooth, 9*, is secured to the adjustable frame 9 and engages with teeth or serrations on the feed-plate. g are spaced to correspond with the teeth or cogs in the rack-sections, so that the sections may be adjusted accurately to bring their teeth in line with each other.

A coggcd pinion, F attached to the bottom end of the post or axle F, is arranged to gear into this cogged rack, and as it is rotated by the ratchet F in the manner above described the said pinion F moves the rack /9 and with it the feed-plate G, in a succession of intermittent movements coinciding with the movements of the needle of the machine around the whole contour of the button-hole to be worked, and at the same time a laterally-vibrating movement is given to the feedplate by the lateral movements of the lever E and its pin G acting upon the feed-plate G in the manner above described. These two movements of the feed-plate impart to the presserfoot G the zigzag movement of the buttonhole stitch.

The bottom face of the presser-foot G may be made in the usual serrated form, as shown in Fig. 16, or the foot and the feed-plate may be made in one piece, as in Figs. 13, 14, and

The teeth 15, and the serrations thrown up thereon by means of forming-dies.

At the front end of the frame-plate A there is an upwardly-projecting hub or lug,A,which is socketed at a to, receive the red X of the presser-foot of the sewing-machine, which is coupled to this hnbpiece by a setscrew, a.

At the rear end of the frame-plate A is attached an overlying strap -pieee, A, which forms the upper support for the vertical post or shaft F, as shown in Figs. 1, 3, and 4. The upper end of this post or shaft F terminates in an operating-knob, f, by means of which the operator can raise up the said shaft and its attached pinion F so as to disconnect the said pinion from its cogged rack g A recess in the bottom side of the ratchet-whcel Fis made to receive a coil of spiral spring, f, which is set so as to habitually throw the said post or shaft F down, but also permits it and its attachments to be raised up, as above described, the object of raising it up and disconnecting the said pinion F being to allow the operator to move and adjust the feed-plate G to the work in hand without moving the operative parts of the machine. The ratchet-wheel Fis coupled withits axle F by means of a tongue or spline and groove, (not shown,)so as to allow for this vertical movement of the said axle F without interrupting the rotation of the said parts.

An adjustable stop or gage pawl, H, is pivoted to the bed-plate A by means of an assembling screw or pin, 71, as seen in Fig. -1, which said pin passes through a slot, h, in the said pawl H,the slot being formed in the pawl, so that it may be moved in or out,as required for the adjustment of the said pawl or stopgage. The forward end of this gage-piece H is made to contact, or nearly contact, with the periphery of the ratchet-wheel F, just behind or under the operating-pawl e, and by moving it in or out by means of its adjustment h h, as above described, the pawl 6 may be adjusted so as to take one or more of the teeth of the said ratchet F at each stroke of the lever E, and thus the movement of the feed-plate at each stroke and the spread of the zigzag mak ing up the stitches may be regulated to great exactness.

In adapting this mechanism to a sewingmachine the ordinary flat throat-plate of the machine is not adapted to work with this mechanism, so I introduce into the sewingmachine,iu combination with this buttonhole mechanism, a throat-piece, X, of peculiar con struction, as shown in Figs. 17 and 18. In this throat-piece there is a slight offset at m,so as to slightly raise one end of the said plate off of the ordinary feed-gear of the machine, so as to allow the feed-gear of this attachment to operate as above described.

Having described my invention, I c1aim- 1. The combination of the frame-plate, the feed-plate, the rack secured thereon, a pinion mounted in the frame-plate, the driving-wheel having ratchet-teeth in its periphery,and cams or wipers alternately set upon its opposite sides, a lever vibrated. by the driving-wheel, connections between the lever and the feedplate for giving the latter a vibrating move ment, and connections between the lover and pinion that engage with the rack for giving the feed-plate a longitudinal movement, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of the frame-plate, the driving-wheel having teeth in its periphery, and cams or wipers alternately set upon its opposite sides,thc vibrating lever in operative connection with the driving-wheel, a pinion mounted on the frame-plate operatively connected with the vibrating lever, the rack on the feedplate with which the pinion meshes, and connections between the vibrating lever and the feed-plate for giving the latter a vibrating motion, substantially. as set forth.

3. The combination of the frame-plate, the feed-plate, the driving-wheel, means for rotating it, the vibrating lever operated by the driving-wheel, the rack secured on the feedplate, the pinion with which it 'nieshes, the ratchet-wheel rigidly connected with the pinion and operatively connected with the vibrating lever,and a handle or knob for withdrawing the pinion from engaging with the rack, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination of the frame-plate, the feed-plate, the driving-wheel, means for rotating it, the vibrating lever operated by the driving-wheel, the pawl on the end of said lever,the ratchet-wheel with which it engages, the pinion rigidly secured thereto, the rack on the feedplate with which the pinion engages, and an adjustable gage that regulates the movement of the pawl on the end of the vibrating lever, substantially asset forth.

5. The combination of the frame -plate, the feed-plate, the drivingwheel mounted on the frame-plate and having teeth in its periphery and cam-shaped lugs or wipers on its opposite sides, a lever pivoted to the frame-plate and having a slotted upright extension in which the driving-wheel works, and a backwardlyextending arm carrying a pawl, the ratchetwheel with which said pawl engages,the pinion secured thereto, the rack secured to the feedplate with which the pinion meshes, andthe securing-pin Gflextending through slots in the feedplate and the vibrating lever and adj ustable therein, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination of the button'hole attachment herein described, the bed-plate of a sewing-machine, and the removable throatplate X, having a transverse oll'set at x to form a cover for the ordinary feeding mechanism of the sewing-machine, substantially as set forth.

W'itness my hand this 17th day of May,1887.

H. J. YVILLTAMS.

XVitnesses:

W. L. BENNEM, F. O. Fnosr, 

